The election for the state representative of the 47th district was an expensive race and donations on both sides flowed in from deep pockets.
Jennifer Zordani of Clarendon Hills lost to the incumbent, Republican Deanne M. Mazzochi, Nov. 3, but it was not for lack of support from her Democratic Party.
Zordani’s campaign received a total of at least $688,393 in donations or paid expenses from the Democratic Party of Illinois and the Democratic Majority, a statewide political committee chaired by Illinois Speaker of the House Michael Madigan, according to campaign contribution reports filed with the Illinois State Board of Elections.
Gov. J. B. Pritzker’s campaign fund gave an additional $57,800, the Downers Grove Township Regular Democratic Organization donated $250, and the York Township Democratic Organization contributed $200 to help elect Zordani, a financial services attorney.
“They must have seen something there and thought she had a chance,” said Cynthia Borbas, chair of the Democratic Party of DuPage. The overall amount spent on Zordani’s campaign was not unusual, Borbas said.
It was, when compared to the November election in 2018, when Mazzochi first ran for the state house and her opponent was fellow Elmhurst resident Jim Caffrey. Caffrey spent $121,356 on his campaign and received little or no support from the Democratic Party that was reported on his campaign disclosure reports.
No one put more money into his bid for a seat in the General Assembly than Caffrey himself and a relative, Dorothy Caffrey of Schaumburg, who together loaned $35,224 to his campaign.
Mazzochi won the November 2018 election with 51.5% of the vote. But the 48.5% of votes cast for Caffrey was more than 2.5 percentage points higher than the 45.9% Zordani received, according to unofficial election results as of Nov. 6.
Kevin Oyakawa, Zordani’s campaign chairman, said, “Jim Caffrey opened the door for Democrats to make big gains in that district.”
The 47th district includes Hinsdale, Clarendon Hills, Oak Brook, Elmhurst, Westmont and parts of Western Springs and Willowbrook.
Oyakawa theorizes the Democratic Party decided to back Zordani financially, because “Jennifer was a very strong candidate,” he said.
Zordani has never held an elected office or government position. She lost to Sean Casten in the March 2018 Democratic primary for the 6th Congressional seat, one of seven candidates in that race.
Zordani did not return calls for comment. In a candidate questionnaire, she said, she ran for state representative of her district this year because, “Neighbors asked me to run after getting to know me and my willingness to serve.”
The Republican Party supported Mazzochi’s bid for reelection, just not as generously as the Democrats funded Zordani’s campaign. To help Mazzochi win reelection, the House Republican Organization and the Illinois Republican Party together contributed at least $161,584 in money and campaign services, such as advertising, printing, postage and media production.
Both Mazzochi and Zordani ran TV commercials in the week before Election Day.
However, the extent of the expenses the two sides incurred will not be known until their political committees file their fourth quarter reports, which are due by Jan. 15.
Mazzochi’s biggest supporter was Ken Griffin, founder and CEO of the Chicago-based Citadel hedge fund, who donated $200,000 to her campaign on Oct. 13.
In a battle of billionaires, the Chicago Tribune reports Griffin spent more than $46 million opposing the referendum Gov. J.B. Pritzker wanted, that would have allowed Illinois to tax higher income at a higher rate instead of the flat rate, currently at 4.95%. Pritzker reportedly spent more than Griffin promoting what supporters called the fair tax amendment.
Mazzochi said she has never met Griffin, who in October 2018 contributed $5,600 to her campaign fund. She ran for election to the state house in 2018, while serving on the College of DuPage Board of Trustees.
“Personally, I think his support shows he too wants to see a better future in Illinois,” Mazzochi said. He wants to see Illinois growing and thriving, and not thwarted “by the political cabal in Springfield,” she said.
To Mazzochi, the Democrats’ strong backing of Zordani “very clearly” shows they wanted to defeat her because she is pushing for “real reform” in Illinois and is “standing up” to Madigan. Mazzochi has called for the speaker’s resignation and is one of three Republicans serving on a six-person committee formed to investigate whether Madigan engaged in conduct unbecoming a legislator, including being involved in a bribery and extortion scheme federal prosecutors described this summer in an agreement with ComEd that has the utility paying a $200 million fine.